Secret Sister (Station 19)

Sitting, Waiting, Wishing

Elle spent the next month trying not to think about Andy Herrera. She took everything she was feeling, the frustration, and regret, and guilt, and confusion, and put it into her training, working harder and harder every single day. Finally, she graduated from the academy and was ready to start her career as a firefighter. She could hardly contain her excitement as she waited for her station assignment; she graduated at the top of her class and knew they'd send her somewhere good. And even though she would be a probie, she couldn't wait to join a team. She shrieked and ran downstairs as she got the email containing her assignment. She started to read it aloud to her parents but suddenly fell silent. "Congratulations, you have been assigned to Station 19" the email read.

"What is it?" Eli asked. Her mom looked at her with concern and leaned over her shoulder to read the email herself. "Oh..." she said quietly before leaving the room. Elle explained the situation to her dad. He obviously knew about everything with Andy, he just didn't know that she worked at 19. He tried to reassure her, saying that it would all be fine. She was going to be a great firefighter, he just knew it, and that would be enough to make things okay. As much as he tried to convince her, Elle wasn't so sure.

She immediately reached out to her instructors from the academy to ask what she should do. She desperately wanted to be reassigned and asked repeatedly to be sent to another station, but they told her it was a long shot. Elle even tried to talk to the battalion and fire chiefs, but that proved to be more difficult than she thought... there was recently some turn over in those positions. Regardless, she couldn't switch to a different station and was to report to 19 first thing the next morning.

Elle tossed and turned all night, and got maybe three hours of sleep before she gave up and went for a run. She blasted a playlist titled "Sun" and ran 12 miles through the city, trying to calm her nerves before heading home to get ready for her first shift. Her uniform was freshly pressed in anticipation and she carefully pulled her dark hair back into a dutch braid. Elle anxiously turned the ring on her finger as she worked up the nerve to actually get in her car and drive to the station. The whole way there, she tried to convince herself that it would be okay; it couldn't be worse than the last time she was there, right?

Taking a deep breath, Elle walked into the station and right to the Captain's office.

"Captain Bishop?" she said as she knocked on the open door.

Maya looked up from her desk and stared down the young firefighter. "You have balls coming back here" she scoffed.

"I'm sorry?" Elle said, confused. She had assumed that Maya knew she was coming.

"What are you doing here?" Maya asked, disdain dripping from every syllable.

"I was assigned here, Captain. I'm your new probie." Elle said, mustering up as much confidence as she could.

"Oh..." Maya trailed off as she glanced back down at the file on her desk. "I didn't realize you were Elena Walsh."

Elle took a breath. "Yes Captain, I am." She nodded, "But everyone calls me Elle" she added with a slight smile.

Maya clearly didn't care. She closed the file in front of her and walked out the door. "All right then" she called over her shoulder. As she made her way to the barn, she turned back to Elle who was still standing frozen in Maya's office and asked "Well are you coming?"

Elle jumped and immediately followed Maya out to the barn for line-up. Before Bishop could even introduce the team to their newest probie, Andy put up a fight.

"What is she doing here?" Andy asked, enraged.

Most of the team looked at her, confused by her reaction, not realizing who Elle was.